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I have a beagle about a year and a half old. I got him when he was nine months old, and he was mostly, but not completely, housebroken. During the winter I somewhat lapsed in taking him out often enough, and he found a corner in my room that he likes to pee and poop in (he pees quite frequently now, but often in small amounts). I used enzymatic cleaner to remove the odor from the carpet as much as possible, and purchased a lot of training pads that were on clearance, so now his pee/poop area is covered in training pads which I change frequently. I have been trying to take him out more frequently, but I would like advice on how to get him used to going outside and not going inside. I praise him when he goes outside (which he most often does when I take him out), but he still relieves himself in the corner with the training pads. Sometimes I am about to take him out, but he relieves himself before I take him out, so I delay his next going out session. Any advice on handling this situation would be very much appreciated. I would like to get it figured out before I run out of training pads because they are expensive when not on clearance and I go through a lot. Thanks.

Super Moderator

It will take a bit of effort because you are not just training a new habit, you are breaking an existing one too. The benefit to your dog of toileting outside has to be far, far greater than the benefits (which I see as comfort, convenience, availability) of toileting in his corner. So I'd suggest a multiple-pronged approach. I would take him out a lot so he is always outside when he wants to toilet. When he does, don't just praise him - immediately (so it is clear that it is for toileting and not for anything else) make it absolutely rain tiny pieces of hot dog sausage or roast chicken. The idea is that he wants to earn the lovely reward enough to make him want to hold his toilet until he is outside.